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This
Month in the Garden (April 2009) One
of the first flowers to bloom each spring, daffodils are members of the Narcissus
family. That name recalls the ancient Greek myth about a handsome
youth who was so smitten by his own reflection he wasted away from
unrequited love. On his death he was transformed into a daffodil by the
gods. A
native wildflower common to in the Mediterranean region, the Romans
first popularized the daffodil, spreading it throughout their empire.
It was important medicinally since soldiers believed the
plant’s irritating sap had healing powers.
In
the United States, daffodils were considered “must have” plants by
early colonists. Pioneers
later carried the bulbs across the continent in covered wagons.
By the early 1900’s these original species bulbs were
supplanted by hybrid forms. The
new daffodils had larger, taller flowers than the wild ones and included
the famous ‘King Alfred.’ Today
the American Daffodil Society recognizes 12 categories of daffodils and
thousands of named cultivars. The
bulbs are classified by the size of their “trumpets,” their color
combinations, and other characteristics such as producing multiple
flowers on a single stem. The
first daffodils to bloom in Port Washington may well by those at the
Niederkorn Public Library on Grand Avenue.
The southern exposure and building structure there create a
microclimate that gets the bulbs off to a fast start.
It’s not unusual to see green daffodil leaves peeking out of
the soil in the library gardens as soon as the snow melts away. The
November 2010 |
Port Washington Garden Club, PO
Box 492, Port Washington, Wisconsin 53074
Registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization
